"Throughout the season, both John and Nate have been great on offense," said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. "We want to continue that and have been talking a lot of about that. They have to wrestle hard and wrestle smart."

The SoCon earned 12 NCAA allocations with the winner of each of the 10 weight classes and the runner-up at both 184 and 197 pounds earning automatic slots at the NCAA Tournament later this month in Cleveland, Ohio.

"While a lot of guys are going to have to win the whole thing (to advance to the NCAA Tournament), you don't win a finals match without winning your first-round match," said Spates. "We really just want to go out and concentrate on that first-round match."

Campbell will look to defend its 2017 tournament title while Appalachian State enters as the regular-season champion for the third consecutive year.

Tickets for Saturday's action, which begins at 10 a.m., will be single-session. Doors open at 9 a.m.

Prices are $15 for adults, $10 for youth (6-12) and $8 each for groups of 10 or more. Students from Southern Conference schools, including wrestling associate member schools, can pick up a ticket free of charge simply by showing their school IDs.

As part of its partnership with Headlock on Hunger, the SoCon will offer $3 off the ticket price with the donation of a food item at the door.